Amid globalization and intensified cultural exchange, translation has evolved beyond linguistic conversion to serve as a vital intercultural bridge. Translators’ agency and stylistic choices critically shape translation quality and cross-cultural impact. This study investigates translator style through the lens of Gu Hongming’s English rendition of The Analects of Confucius, a groundbreaking 19th-century effort to disseminate Eastern wisdom during an era dominated by Western cultural hegemony. Gu’s translation philosophy and strategies are analyzed using boundary theory, focusing on his negotiation between source-text fidelity and target-reader accessibility. The research comprises five sections: 1) outlining objectives; 2) profiling Gu’s life, translation achievements, and stylistic features; 3) synthesizing academic evaluations of his works; 4) applying boundary theory to analyze textual examples from The Analects; 5) discussing practical implications of Gu’s translational approach. This interdisciplinary methodology bridges translation studies and cultural theory, revealing how Gu’s transcultural mediation balanced Confucian authenticity with Western interpretative frameworks. The findings highlight the enduring relevance of translator style in shaping cross-cultural reception, offering insights for contemporary translation practices in global knowledge exchange.